His ain mammie wad cairry him gien he war twice the size!
Noo, we s' gang but the hoose and see daddy."
She bore him after the minister, and sat down with him on her own stool,
beside her father, who looked up, with his hands and knees in skilful
consort of labour.
"Weel, minister, hoo are ye the day? Is the yerd ony lichter upo' the tap
o' ye?" he said, with a smile that was almost pauky.
"I do not understand you, Mr. MacLear!" answered James with dignity.
"Na, ye canna! Gien ye could, ye wouldna be sae comfortable as ye seem!"
"I cannot think, Mr. MacLear, why you should be rude to me!"
"Gien ye saw the hoose on fire aboot a man deid asleep, maybe ye micht be
in ower great a hurry to be polite til 'im!" remarked the soutar.
"Dare you suggest, sir, that I have been drinking?" cried the parson.
"Not for a single moment, sir; and I beg yer pardon for causin ye so to
mistak me: I do not believe, sir, ye war ever ance owertaen wi' drink in a'
yer life! I fear I'm jist ower ready to speyk in parables, for it's no
a'body that can or wull un'erstan' them! But the last time ye left me upo'
this same stule, it was wi' that cry o' the Apostle o' the Gentiles i' my
lug--'Wauk up, thoo that sleepest!' For even the deid wauk whan the trumpet
blatters i' their lug!"
"It seems to me that there the Apostle makes allusion to the condition of
the Gentile nations, asleep in their sins! But it may apply, doubtless, to
the conversion of any unbelieving man from the error of his ways.
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